Pattern forming sheet, pattern manufacturing apparatus, pattern manufacturing method, and pattern manufacturing program

ABSTRACT

It is possible to implement pattern formation and pattern manufacturing that eliminate the necessity of high-cost accurate positioning. A pattern manufacturing apparatus (100) includes a controller (101) and a laser projector (102). The controller (101) controls the laser projector (102) to form a pattern on a pattern forming sheet (130) placed on a stage (140). The laser projector (102) further includes an optical engine (121). The optical engine (121) irradiates the pattern forming sheet (130) with a light beam (122). The stage (140) has a hollow structure not to obstruct the optical path of the light beam (122). The pattern forming sheet (130) includes a light-transmitting sheet material layer and a photo-curing layer applied to the sheet material layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-186393, filed on Sep. 26, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a pattern forming sheet, a pattern manufacturing apparatus, a pattern manufacturing method, and a pattern manufacturing program.

Description of the Related Art

In the above technical field, patent literature 1 discloses a technique of irradiating, with light, a photomask on which a circuit pattern is formed, and exposing the circuit pattern on a board.

[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-194253

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the technique described in the above literature, it is possible to form a pattern on a printed circuit board. However, accurate facility, apparatus, and technique are required to align a mask and a board. Thus, an end user cannot use the technique efficiently.

The present invention enables to provide a technique of solving the above-described problem. A light beam is used to form a latent image of a pattern, and a work to which a pattern forming sheet is adhered is irradiated with the light beam, thereby forming a latent image of the pattern. This enables pattern formation and pattern manufacturing that eliminate the necessity of high-cost accurate positioning.

One aspect of the present invention provides a pattern forming sheet for forming a pattern, that fits in an arbitrary work surface, comprising:

a light-transmitting sheet material layer; and

a paste-like photo-curing layer that is applied to the sheet material layer and contains a photo-curing resin.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a pattern manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a forming unit configured to form a pattern by irradiating the above-described pattern forming sheet with a light beam.

Still other aspect of the present invention provides a pattern manufacturing method comprising:

adhering the above-described pattern forming sheet to a work having an arbitrary shape;

forming a pattern by irradiating the pattern forming sheet with a light beam; and

separating a sheet material layer from the formed pattern.

Still other aspect of the present invention provides a pattern manufacturing program for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising:

forming a pattern by irradiating the above-described pattern forming sheet with a light beam.

According to the present invention, it is possible to shape a pattern on a work surface having an arbitrary shape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining an outline of the overall arrangement of a pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a view showing an outline of a pattern forming process by the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B shows a plan view and a side view for explaining the arrangement of a pattern forming sheet used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2C is a view for explaining the pattern forming sheet used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus and the adhesion of a pattern forming sheet after light beam irradiation according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2D is a view for explaining an example of a method of applying the photo-curing layer of the pattern forming sheet used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an example of the apparatus arrangement of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a view for explaining an example of the arrangement of an optical engine incorporated in the light source unit of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a plan view for explaining another example of the arrangement of the optical engine incorporated in the light source unit of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4C is a perspective view for explaining the other example of the arrangement of the optical engine incorporated in the light source unit of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of a laser projector including the optical engine of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the laser projector including the optical engine of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern manufacturing procedure by the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the first example embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an example of the arrangement of a pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the second example embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern manufacturing procedure by the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the second example embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Example embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components, the numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these example embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

First Example Embodiment

A pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the first example embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that manufactures a pattern on an arbitrary work surface by irradiating a pattern forming sheet with a light beam.

<Technical Premise>

The technical premise of this example embodiment will be described first. Note that a circuit pattern will be exemplified as a pattern. However, the technique of this example embodiment is not limited to this.

In general, a circuit pattern is determined by designing a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) using CAD (Computer Aided Design) such as PADS (Personal Automated Design System). After that, the circuit pattern is manufactured by a subcontracting maker using silk screen printing or a photoresist method. There is an increasing need to examine, using an actual product, whether the design of a circuit pattern is appropriate in addition to confirmation on the screen of a personal computer or the like in these design processes.

In a conventional circuit pattern development method, a circuit pattern printing mask to be used for screen printing or a photoresist method needs to be subcontracted and manufactured. This poses a problem that a long time and a high cost are required to actually complete a prototype. To reduce the time and cost, development of a circuit pattern is often advanced by only confirming, on the monitor of a personal computer or the like, a circuit pattern created by CAD or CAE (Computer Aided Engineering). It is, however, difficult to completely grasp a problem by confirming data of the circuit pattern displayed on the monitor. In many cases, therefore, the problem is noticed only after a prototype is manufactured. To cope with this, a mask needs to be subcontracted to manufacture a prototype, thereby increasing the time and cost to complete the prototype. Furthermore, in a method using a mask, such as screen printing, for example, it is impossible to manufacture a circuit pattern for a housing, its curved portion or corner portion, or the like.

Technique of Example Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining an outline of the overall arrangement of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a controller 101 and a laser projector 102. The controller 101 controls the laser projector 102 to form a pattern on a pattern forming sheet 130 adhered to a work on a stage 140. That is, the controller 101 forms a pattern on the pattern forming sheet 130 by performing irradiation with a light beam 122 from an optical engine 121 based on pattern data created by CAD. The stage 140 has a hollow structure not to obstruct the optical path of the light beam 122, and the pattern forming sheet 130 placed on the stage 140 is irradiated with the light beam 122 from below. Note that creation of pattern data is not limited to CAD. For example, an application of a smartphone, CAE, or the like may be used to create pattern data. The controller 101 also controls the overall operation of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100. Note that the pattern forming sheet 130 is flexible, and can thus conform to a work having an arbitrary surface shape. The pattern forming sheet 130 includes a light-transmitting sheet material layer and a photo-curing layer applied to the sheet material layer.

The laser projector 102 includes the optical engine 121. The controller 101 controls the laser projector 102 to irradiate the pattern forming sheet 130 with the light beam from the optical engine 121.

FIG. 2A is a view showing an outline of a pattern forming process by the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. A case in which a pattern is formed on a cylindrical glass serving as a work 200, as shown in the leftmost view of FIG. 2A, will be exemplified. The glass has a curved shape as a surface shape. As shown in the second view from the left of FIG. 2A, the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered so that a photo-curing layer 132 contacts the surface of the glass. As shown in the middle view of FIG. 2A, based on the pattern data created by the controller 101, irradiation with the light beam 122 is performed from the side of a sheet material layer 131 of the pattern forming sheet 130 adhered to the surface of the glass. The pattern forming sheet 130 is changed to a pattern forming sheet 130′ on which a pattern 210 is formed in a photo-curing layer 132′. The irradiation time of the light beam 122 changes depending on an irradiation area and laser power but falls within the range of about 1 to 20 min.

As shown in the second view from the right of FIG. 2A, upon completion of irradiation with the light beam 122, the sheet material layer 131 is separated. If the sheet material layer 131 is separated, a portion of the photo-curing layer 132′, which is cured by irradiation with the light beam 122, remains on the glass side, and the formed pattern 210 is manufactured on the surface of the glass. An uncured portion 133 other than the pattern 210 is separated together with the sheet material layer 131. At this time, if the uncured portion of the photo-curing layer 132 remains on the surface of the glass, the remaining uncured portion is cleaned and removed, as shown in the rightmost view of FIG. 2A. Note that if no uncured portion remains on the surface of the glass, cleaning is not necessary. The cylindrical glass has been exemplified as the work 200. However, the surface shape of the work 200 to which the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered is an arbitrary surface shape such as a flat surface, corner surface, or curved surface.

FIG. 2B shows a plan view and a side view for explaining the arrangement of the pattern forming sheet 130 used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment.

The pattern forming sheet 130 includes the light-transmitting sheet material layer 131 and the photo-curing layer 132 applied to the sheet material layer 131. The photo-curing layer 132 is a paste-like layer containing a photo-curing resin. The sheet material layer 131 is a sheet having high light transmittance and releasability. As the sheet material layer 131, a sheet made of polyolefin, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyimide, or the like, a sheet obtained by performing surface processing of a high separation performance for the above sheet, or the like is used. The present invention, however, is not limited to them. The sheet material layer 131 has flexibility to fit in an arbitrary shape of a work surface.

The photo-curing layer 132 contains a photo-curing resin. The photo-curing layer 132 is applied to the sheet material layer 131 in a size of about 37 mm in the vertical direction×about 52 mm in the horizontal direction, which corresponds to an A9 size. Note that the size of the photo-curing layer 132 to be applied is not limited to this. The photo-curing layer 132 may further contain a conductive material. By containing a conductive material in the photo-curing layer 132, for example, the pattern forming sheet 130 can be used to form a circuit pattern. Examples of the conductive material are silver, gold, copper, platinum, lead, zinc, tin, iron, aluminum, palladium, and carbon. The present invention, however, is not limited to them.

If the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered to the work 200 and installed, and irradiated with the light beam 122 from the side of the sheet material layer 131, the photo-curing layer 132 is irradiated with the light beam 122 transmitted through the sheet material layer 131. A portion of the photo-curing layer 132, which has been irradiated with the light beam 122, is cured.

The emitted light beam 122 is a laser having a wavelength of about 405 nm but is not limited to this. The light beam 122 may be, for example, a light beam having a wavelength of 200 nm to 400 nm but is not limited to this. If the sheet material layer 131 is separated after completion of irradiation with the light beam 122, the cured portion of the photo-curing layer 132 remains on the side of the work 200 and the uncured portion is separated from the work 200 together with the sheet material layer 131, thereby forming the pattern on the work 200.

The protection sheet 133 for protecting the photo-curing layer 132 of the pattern forming sheet 130 may be provided. The protection sheet 133 is a sheet made of a material of a high separation performance, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The protection sheet 133 need only be a sheet made of a material that is readily separated while protecting the photo-curing layer 132. If the protection sheet 133 is provided, the pattern forming sheet 130 can be carried and stored without damaging the photo-curing layer 132.

Note that the photo-curing layer 132 may be mixed with ink that develops a color in accordance with the wavelength, output, and irradiation time of the light beam. Furthermore, the photo-curing layer 132 may be mixed with ink that develops a different color in accordance with the wavelength, output, and irradiation time of the light beam.

FIG. 2C is a view for explaining the pattern forming sheet 130 used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 and the adhesion of the pattern forming sheet 130′ after light beam irradiation according to this example embodiment. The adhesion between the sheet material layer 131 and an uncured portion 230 of the photo-curing layer 132 is represented by F₁, and the adhesion between the work 200 and the uncured portion 230 of the photo-curing layer 132 is represented by F₂.

After irradiation with the light beam 122, a portion where no pattern is formed, that is, a portion that is not irradiated with the light beam 122 such as a laser beam needs to be separated together with the sheet material layer 131 when the sheet material layer 131 is separated. Therefore, in this portion, instead of separating the sheet material layer 131 from the photo-curing layer 132′, the sheet material layer 131 and the photo-curing layer 132′ remain adhered to each other and the photo-curing layer 132′ needs to be readily separated from the work 200. Therefore, the adhesions desirably satisfy a relation of F₂<F₁.

Furthermore, the adhesion between the sheet material layer 131 and a cured portion 220 of the photo-curing layer 132′ is represented by F₁′ and the adhesion between the work 200 and the cured portion 220 of the photo-curing layer 132′ is represented by F₂′. The adhesions desirably satisfy a relation of F₂′>F₁′.

Furthermore, when viewed from the side of the sheet material layer 131, the relation between the adhesions is desirably F₁>F₁′.

The photo-curing resin contained in the photo-curing layer 132 is, for example, an ultraviolet curing resin such as an acrylic resin (polymer acrylate), urethane resin (urethane acrylate), vinyl ester resin, or polyester-alkyd resin (epoxy acrylate). However, the photo-curing resin contained in the photo-curing layer 132 is not limited to this as long as a resin is cured by light beam irradiation.

If the pattern forming sheet 130 has the above arrangement, the releasability between the sheet material layer 131 and the cured portion 220 of the photo-curing layer 132 is improved, and it is possible to readily separate the sheet material layer 131 and the photo-curing layer 132.

FIG. 2D is a view for explaining an example of the method of applying the photo-curing layer 132 of the pattern forming sheet 130 used in the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. The photo-curing layer 132 is applied to the sheet material layer 131 by setting, in a screen printing machine 250, a silk screen film 251 provided with an application region 252. The photo-curing layer 132 may be applied to the sheet material layer 131 directly using, for example, a select roller without using the screen printing machine 250.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an example of the apparatus arrangement of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. Note that FIG. 3 does not illustrate the controller 101 and the like, as appropriate. The pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a light source unit 301 and a stage 302. The light source unit 301 emits a light beam 311 such as a laser beam. The light source unit 301 forms a forming unit that forms a pattern by irradiating the pattern forming sheet 130 with the light beam 311.

The use method of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described using an example of forming a pattern on the surface of a wine glass 310 as the work 200. First, the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered to the surface of the wine glass 310. The wine glass 310 to which the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered is placed on the stage 302, and the pattern forming sheet 130 is then irradiated with the light beam 311 from the light source unit 301. Note that an example of manufacturing a pattern on the work 200 completed in advance, such as the wine glass 310, has been explained. However, the use method of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 is not limited to this. For example, a channel such as a pipe may be manufactured as the work 200 using the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100, and the pattern forming sheet 130 may be adhered to the manufactured channel, thereby manufacturing a pattern.

FIG. 4A is a view for explaining an example of the arrangement of an optical engine 400 incorporated in the light source unit 301 of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment.

The optical engine 400 includes a light source 401, a reflecting mirror 402, a photodetector 403, a two-dimensional MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) mirror 404, and an angle-of-view correction element 405.

The light source 401 includes a semiconductor LD (Laser Diode) 411, an LD holder 412, a collimator lens 413, and a collimator holder 414. The semiconductor LD 411 is attached to the LD holder 412, and the collimator lens 413 is attached to the collimator holder 414. The semiconductor LD 411 is a laser beam oscillation element that oscillates an ultraviolet laser beam or the like. Note that the laser beam oscillation element is not limited to the semiconductor LD 411 and may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode).

A laser beam emitted from the semiconductor LD 411 is collimated by the collimator lens 413, travels toward the reflecting mirror 402, and is reflected by the reflecting mirror 402. The photodetector 403 detects the power of the laser beam, and controls the illuminance of the semiconductor LD 411. Then, the laser beam reflected by the reflecting mirror 402 enters the central portion of the two-dimensional MEMS mirror 404.

The two-dimensional MEMS mirror 404 is a driving mirror that is driven based on an externally input control signal, and vibrates to reflect the laser beam by changing an angle in the horizontal direction (X direction) and the vertical direction (Y direction). The angle of view of the laser beam reflected by the two-dimensional MEMS mirror 404 is corrected by the angle-of-view correction element 405. The laser beam whose angle of view has been corrected is scanned on the pattern forming sheet 130 and the pattern 210 is formed on the pattern forming sheet 130. Note that the LD holder 412, the collimator holder 414, and the angle-of-view correction element 405 are installed, as needed.

FIGS. 4B and 4C are a plan view and a perspective view for explaining another example of the arrangement of an optical engine 430 incorporated in the light source unit 301 of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. FIGS. 4B and 4C show the optical engine 430 in which the four semiconductor LDs 411 are arranged in a housing 431. By arranging a number of semiconductor LDs 411, it is possible to increase the output of the optical engine 430, and implement the optical engine 430 according to the power. Note that the semiconductor LDs 411 may emit laser beams of different wavelengths and outputs. By providing a plurality of LDs that emit laser beams of different wavelengths, it is possible to select a wavelength in accordance with the purpose. By attaching a plurality of LDs that emit laser beams of the same wavelength and different beam diameters, it is possible to select a sharp or soft laser beam in an arbitrary place.

The optical engine 430 is an optical engine for a phenomenally downsized laser pico projector having a width of about 30 mm, a depth of about 15 mm, a height of about 7 mm, and a capacity of about 3 cc while achieving a resolution of 720p and high image quality. Note that the number of semiconductor LDs 411 arranged in the optical engine 430 is not limited to four, and one to three or five or more semiconductor LDs 411 may be arranged. By increasing/decreasing the number of the semiconductor LDs 411, it is possible to adjust the output of the laser beam emitted from the optical engine 430.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the arrangement of the laser projector 102 including the optical engine 400 or 430 of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. The optical engine 400 or 430 includes an LD driver 511, power management circuits (PMCs) 512, and a photodetector 516 in addition to the components described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C.

In addition to the optical engine 121, the laser projector 102 includes a MEMS controller 501 and a laser scan display controller 502. Upon receiving a pattern signal from the outside, the laser scan display controller 502 extracts a pixel count, a size, and the like, and transmits them to the MEMS controller 501.

The PMCs 512 control so the LD driver 511 does not erroneously operate during an initial transient period, for example, a rising period or falling period. Especially, during the transient period, the output power may be lower than a necessary voltage. The LD driver 511 may erroneously operate due to a low voltage and/or a variation in voltage. To avoid this problem, the functional circuit block can be set in a reset state during the transient period.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangement of the laser projector 102 including the optical engine 400 or 430 of the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. The pattern signal input to the laser scan display controller 502 is modulated, and sent to the LD driver 511. The LD driver 511 controls the luminance and irradiation timing of the laser beam projected by driving the LD. The laser scan display controller 502 drives the MEMS controller 501 at the same time to vibrate the two-dimensional MEMS mirror 404 with respect to two axes under a predetermined condition. The power management circuit 512 controls the LD driver 511 to cause the semiconductor LD 411 to emit light at a predetermined voltage at a predetermined timing. The laser beam reflected by the two-dimensional MEMS mirror 404 through the optical systems such as the collimator lens 413 and the reflecting mirror 402 is projected on the pattern forming sheet 130 as a pattern forming laser beam. Note that the LD has been exemplified as a light source. The light source is not limited to the LD and may be an LED.

As described above, the MEMS scan method provides light utilization efficiency much higher than that in DLP (Digital Light Processing). Thus, the same pattern formation and shaping as those of DLP are possible with a laser of much lower power. That is, it is possible to reduce the cost and power consumption and decrease the size while achieving high accuracy. Furthermore, it is possible to narrow a laser beam (ϕ0.8 mm→ϕ0.02 mm), thereby improving the shaping accuracy. It is possible to change the irradiation area of the laser beam by changing the irradiation distance of the optical engine 121. The irradiation area of the laser beam may be changed by software without changing the irradiation distance of the optical engine 121.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern manufacturing procedure by the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this example embodiment. In step S701, the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered to the work 200. The relation between the adhesions is as indicated by the pattern forming sheet 130 shown in FIG. 2C. Note that if the protection sheet 133 is attached to the pattern forming sheet 130, the protection sheet 133 is detached and then the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered to the work 200.

In step S703, the work 200 to which the pattern forming sheet 130 is adhered is set on the stage 302. In step S705, the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 irradiates the pattern forming sheet 130 with the light beam 122 such as a laser beam to cure the photo-curing layer 132, thereby forming a pattern. The pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 performs irradiation with, for example, a laser beam (light beam 122) having a wavelength of 405 nm, thereby curing the pattern. Note that irradiation with the light beam 122 may be performed by a scan or by a method of printing the entire pattern by one irradiation operation. If irradiation with the light beam 122 is performed by a scan, the scan count may be one or more.

In step S707, the sheet material layer 131 of the pattern forming sheet 130 is separated. The relation between the adhesions at this time is as indicated by the pattern forming sheet 130′ shown in FIG. 2C. If the sheet material layer 131 is separated, the cured portion 220 of the photo-curing layer 132 remains on the side of the work 200, and the uncured portion 230 of the photo-curing layer 132 is separated from the work 200 together with the sheet material layer 131. If the uncured portion 230 remains on the side of the work 200 in step S707, for example, the uncured portion 230 is washed away by cleaning the work 200 using IPA (IsoPropyl Alcohol) in step S709. Note that the uncured portion 230 may be cleaned by executing ultrasonic cleaning together with cleaning by IPA. This can clean the uncured portion 230 more reliably. Upon completion of cleaning, the work 200 is dried. Note that step S709 is an additional step, and is executed, as needed.

By repeating the above-described steps, a three-dimensional pattern can be manufactured on the work 200. That is, it is possible to manufacture a three-dimensional pattern (laminated pattern) by repeating, after the end of the above-described steps, an operation of adhering a new pattern forming sheet 130 onto the pattern manufactured on the work 200 and manufacturing a pattern a predetermined number of times. In this case, the pattern forming sheets 130 made of different materials may be used for the respective layers.

Furthermore, if a conductive circuit pattern of a plurality of layers is shaped as a pattern, a resist layer (resist film) may be shaped between the layers. That is, after completion of shaping of the conductive circuit pattern, a resist layer forming sheet is adhered, as the pattern forming sheet 130, onto the conductive circuit pattern and a resist layer (resist pattern) is formed. On the resist layer, for example, a portion except for a portion serving as a through hole is irradiated with the light beam 122 and cured, and an uncured portion as the portion serving as the through hole is cleaned, thereby making it possible to shape the resist layer including a through hole. In addition to the resist layer, a layer having a waterproof function, dustproof function, and heat radiation function can be added by potting. Note that when shaping the conductive circuit pattern, the photo-curing layer 132 is made by mixing metal paste such as silver paste with a photo-curing resin. The present invention, however, is not limited to this. Furthermore, the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 can be used as a laminating and shaping apparatus that shapes a three-dimensional laminated and shaped object by laminating a photo-curing resin, in addition to pattern shaping. That is, the pattern manufacturing apparatus 100 is a hybrid apparatus applicable to two applications of a pattern shaping apparatus and three-dimensional laminating and shaping apparatus.

According to this example embodiment, since the pattern forming sheet 130 having flexibility to fit in a work having an arbitrary shape is used, it is possible to shape a pattern on the work having the arbitrary shape. In addition, since the releasability between the sheet material layer 131 and the cured portion 220 of the photo-curing layer 132 is high, it is possible to readily shape a pattern on the work having the arbitrary shape by only separating the sheet material layer 131 after completion of light beam irradiation. Since cleaning of the uncured portion 230 of the photo-curing layer 132 after completion of light beam irradiation is not necessary, the shaping time of the pattern can be shortened. By using a plurality of pattern forming sheets 130, it is possible to manufacture a laminated pattern.

Second Example Embodiment

A pattern manufacturing apparatus according to the second example embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an example of the arrangement of the pattern manufacturing apparatus according to this example embodiment. Note that FIG. 8 illustrates no work to avoid the view from becoming complicated. A pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 according to this example embodiment is different from the first example embodiment in that a heater 801 is included. The remaining components and operations are the same as those in the first example embodiment. Hence, the same reference numerals denote the same components and operations, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 includes the heater 801. The heater 801 is movable. For example, if a pattern forming sheet 130 is set on a stage 302, the heater 801 is closed to heat the pattern forming sheet 130. The pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 is used to, for example, manufacture a conductive circuit pattern using the pattern forming sheet 130 applied with a photo-curing layer containing a conductive photo-curing resin.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern manufacturing procedure by the pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 according to this example embodiment. Note that the same step numbers as those in FIG. 7 denote the same steps and a description thereof will be omitted. In step S901, the pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 heats the pattern forming sheet 130. Note that step S901 may be executed simultaneously with step S705.

According to this example embodiment, since the pattern manufacturing apparatus including the heater is used, it is possible to decrease the resistance value of the circuit pattern while shaping the circuit pattern, thereby shortening the shaping time. Note that instead of the circuit board, a work like the wine glass 310 shown in FIG. 3 can be applied to the pattern manufacturing apparatus 800 of FIG. 8 provided with the heater. In this case, the heater 801 can decrease the specific volume of a photo-curing layer 132 within a short time by aging the sheet 130 on the wine glass 310 by heating. As a result, it is possible to quickly obtain the final shape of the photo-curing layer 132 on the pattern forming sheet 130.

Other Example Embodiments

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to example embodiments thereof, the invention is not limited to these example embodiments. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

The present invention is applicable to a system including a plurality of devices or a single apparatus. The present invention is also applicable even when an information processing program for implementing the functions of example embodiments is supplied to the system or apparatus directly or from a remote site. Hence, the present invention also incorporates the program installed in a computer to implement the functions of the present invention by the computer, a medium storing the program, and a WWW (World Wide Web) server that causes a user to download the program. Especially, the present invention incorporates at least a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute processing steps included in the above-described example embodiments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pattern forming sheet for forming a pattern, that fits in an arbitrary work surface, comprising: a light-transmitting sheet material layer; and a paste-like photo-curing layer that is applied to said sheet material layer and contains a photo-curing resin.
 2. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein said photo-curing layer further contains a conductive material.
 3. The sheet according to claim 2, wherein the conductive material contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, copper, platinum, lead, zinc, tin, iron, aluminum, palladium, and carbon.
 4. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the photo-curing resin contained in said photo-curing layer is a resin whose adhesion with the work surface becomes higher than an adhesion with said sheet material layer when the pattern forming sheet is adhered to the work surface via said photo-curing layer and irradiated with a light beam.
 5. The sheet according to claim 4, wherein the photo-curing resin is a resin whose adhesion with the work surface is lower than the adhesion with said sheet material layer when no irradiation with the light beam is performed.
 6. The sheet according to claim 4, wherein the photo-curing resin includes an ultraviolet curing resin.
 7. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein for said sheet material layer, a material whose adhesion with said uncured photo-curing layer is higher than the adhesion with said cured photo-curing layer is selected.
 8. The sheet according to claim 7, wherein said sheet material layer contains one material selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polypropylene, polyimide, and polyethylene terephthalate.
 9. A pattern manufacturing apparatus comprising: a forming unit configured to form a pattern by irradiating a pattern forming sheet defined in claim 1 with a light beam.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said forming unit includes, as an optical engine, a housing, at least one laser diode that is arranged on one side of said housing and emits a laser beam, at least one reflecting mirror that reflects the laser beam from said laser diode, and a driving mirror that reflects the laser beam reflected by said reflecting mirror while changing an angle in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: a heater that heats the pattern forming sheet.
 12. A pattern manufacturing method comprising: adhering a pattern forming sheet defined in claim 1 to a work having an arbitrary shape; forming a pattern by irradiating the pattern forming sheet with a light beam; and separating a sheet material layer from the formed pattern.
 13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: forming a resist pattern by irradiating, with the light beam, a photo-curing resist layer covering the formed pattern.
 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a pattern manufacturing program for causing a computer to execute a method, comprising: forming a pattern by irradiating a pattern forming sheet defined in claim 1 with a light beam.
 15. The sheet according to claim 2, wherein for said sheet material layer, a material whose adhesion with said uncured photo-curing layer is higher than the adhesion with said cured photo-curing layer is selected.
 16. The sheet according to claim 4, wherein for said sheet material layer, a material whose adhesion with said uncured photo-curing layer is higher than the adhesion with said cured photo-curing layer is selected.
 17. The sheet according to claim 2, wherein the photo-curing resin contained in said photo-curing layer is a resin whose adhesion with the work surface becomes higher than an adhesion with said sheet material layer when the pattern forming sheet is adhered to the work surface via said photo-curing layer and irradiated with a light beam, for said sheet material layer, a material whose adhesion with said uncured photo-curing layer is higher than the adhesion with said cured photo-curing layer is selected. 